RAISING THE
MINIMUM WAGE
WHO'S IN FAVOR

This finding coincides with the way national opinion has been heading for some time. As Americans become increasingly aware of poverty's grasp on vulnerable populations, such as people of color or those without a college education, many feel it's high time that fast food workers and grocery store clerks be able to support their families while still paying the utility bill.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic could also have played a part in influencing participants' answers. With tens of millions of Americans suddenly unemployed and looking for a way to make rent, many people are feeling that the current minimum wage essentially isn't enough.

While the majority opinion is crystal clear, it's their explanations that provide the most insight into how a simple difference in outlook can yield opposing viewpoints.

While the YES side may be more focused on the individual worker and their ability to succeed, those who made up the opposing side (19.7%) focused more on the well-being of business owners.

In the NO voters' rationales, only some explanations spoke to whether individuals themselves needed more money or not. Instead, most were focused on business owners and the effects on the economy, with many respondents citing that a rise in minimum wage would cause inflation and increase the cost of goods. They also expressed concern that increasing the wage would be too much for small businesses to handle financially, forcing them to resort to layoffs and fewer hires in the future.

The individual versus business debate is very present in current politics, so it's no surprise that there were stark differences in survey answers based on which political affiliation participants identified as.

93% of Democrats voted YES, while 7% voted NO. On the other hand, 66% of Republicans voted YES, while 34% voted NO, showing a clear divide in opinion based on political party – and also a larger divide within the Republican party specifically.

This, of course, could have been expected. Democratic candidates often use raising the minimum wage as part of their political platform, so it's understandable that those affiliated with the party would agree. Libertarians hold a very similar view to Republicans, with 68% voting YES and 32% voting NO. Of participants who identified themselves as No Affiliation, 80% voted YES and 20% voted NO.

The two categories that showed the least difference in opinion across groups were gender and age. The survey results revealed that men and women were split almost equally between each group.

83% of women surveyed voted YES and roughly 79% of men surveyed voted YES. Those who chose to not identify were split 50/50. There was even a near equal split in those who voted YES and wanted $15 or higher minimum wage – 52% were women, 47% were men and 1% chose not to identify.

However, there is a difference among genders when you look at each party independently. For example, 92% of Democratic females voted YES, while only 68% of Republican females voted YES. On the other hand, 96% of Democratic males voted YES and 64% of Republican males voted YES.

As for age, the results were dispersed evenly between people ranging from 18 to 65+. Between 79%-82% of all groups voted YES and between 18%-22% of all groups voted NO.

It may be surprising to see young and older generations so aligned, especially since polling has shown that older generations teeter more towards Republican values. But as illustrated clearly by the data, the cause for raising the minimum wage transcends party lines and generational differences.

All in all, according to the survey, men were almost right alongside women in their support for raising the minimum wage, and people of all generations seem to be aligned, too. Though there isn't a clear way to determine why this parallel exists at this specific time, it could possibly signify a change in opinion due to the economic shift during the pandemic. Or perhaps, this is one topic where people of different genders and ages have more in common than typically perceived.

In regard to employment status, the difference in opinion was relatively small but still present. The group with the lowest support for raising the minimum wage was students, with 74% saying YES and 26% saying NO. On the other hand, part-time and unemployed workers showed the most support for raising the minimum wage, with 84% and 83% saying YES, and 16% and 17% saying NO, respectively.

Another area that revealed a significant divide in opinion was that of ethnicity. Overall, Black and African American participants supported a raise in the minimum wage more than any other ethnicity, with 90% support. The other leading groups were Asian and Pacific Islander participants at 86%, and Hispanic and Latinx participants at 84%.

Participants who described themselves as White, Native American or American Indian, Other or Two or More Races had the lowest percentages of support, with 79%, 79%, 70%, and 76% support, respectively.

It's important to note that a majority of the votes (64%) came from White participants, while a minority of votes came from Native American or American Indians and people who identified as Other or Two or More Races. With a larger sample size, it's likely that these percentages would be higher.

With the 2020 election approaching, we wanted to see how the American people felt about such a hot topic - raising the federal minimum wage. We asked respondents whether they were for or against raising the federal minimum wage. If respondents answered YES, we asked them to provide what they thought that new wage should be. If respondents answered NO, we asked them to provide a reason why. Regardless of their YES or NO answer, all respondents were asked:

We ran our survey with Survey Monkey, and set the following criteria: